The Fun-loving Foundry | Playtype

April 21, 2016

I bought five prints at the weekend, yes five AND that’s on top of the three purchased in the week. Something about posters has me taking out the credit card and saying goodbye to ever owning my own house, because renting is really cool kids. Adding to this serious amount of bank action is a relatively new discovery – Danish brand and design agency, e-Types who in 2010 established their own type foundry, Playtype, who produce the most beautiful graphic posters I have ever seen.

Playtype creates custom-made typefaces for brands and has an extensive library of fonts available to graphic designers and creative studios. They’re all quite cheap and perfect for students looking to have something slightly more individual for a project (because that’s really important ya know) and I’d totally advise pooling together for your graduation catalogue typography. I’m particularly loving the bold Boing font designed by Henrik Kubel and the elegant Wave style designed by Jonas Hecksher.

If the range of fonts isn’t enough to bring out the typographic geek in you / doing it yourself isn’t really your thing, Playtype also have their own range of posters, mugs, notebooks, postcards and other limited edition collaborations, all printed on FSC certified paper with Pantone colours, the highest quality materials for the highest quality design. An absolute dream for those who like slogans and probably a lifetime shopping achievement for those that know finials, ascenders, serifs and hairlines.The designs are pretty playful, case in point, the Banana Split poster and the Beat mug collection showcasing different musical genres. Of course I came home with the Punk mug which I’m planning to house a little cacti in! There are also some new additions to the collection in the form of the Voo Doo, Out Law and Way Out prints which are definitely on my wishlist, with Out Law probably at the top for the monochromatic vibes but the glossy green of Out Law following close behind!

The Danish roots certainly shine through with the bold, clean lines and humorous style. I mean the Playtype showcases the principle of the brand itself through it’s name. I’ll certainly be popping over to the flagship next time I’m in Copenhagen, especially with the store housed in my favourite scandinavian neighbourhood, Vesterbro. Copenhagen feeling a bit too far? Luckily for us all, Playtype are currently popped-up in London until May 6th, just in the front of the ARAM showroom in Covent Garden. This is the first time all of the designs have been showcased under one roof so a truly typographic treat for all of you graphic designers and creatives out there. A perfect accompaniment to an afternoon at Pick Me Up this weekend if I do say so myself. Follow Playtype on Instagram for a composition of letters, glyphs and numbers and lust over the full collection here. Let me know if anything takes your fancy! Top and bottom images my own, middle images courtesy of the wonderful Playtype.